Double-Faced Miracle
by Meitantei4869
Summary: The "Miracle Circus" is one of the things that the people in the gloomy town of Rione actually look forward to. Tetsuna and Daiki attend the circus to have a little fun themselves and they meet certain individuals who piped their interest by a whole lot. Little did they know, the bright circus has it's own dark, hidden story... [Circus AU, Fem.Kuroko] [aomomo, akakuro, junriko]
1. The Circus has Arrived

_**Disclaimer: everything belongs to their rightful owners.**_

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><p>The streets were filled with the excited chatters of the people in the small town of Rione. A rare, once in three years event had occurred in the gloomy town. For the people in a town like Rione, which is also known for the town of despair— due to the number of suicides and felony which occur in that one small town —to be having conversations which such smiles on their faces, it had to be a very special event. And it was. Rumours turned into official announcements and small excited whispers turned into cheers of joy.<p>

The circus was here.

Bright, colourful lights surrounded a tent striped with red and white and girls wearing costumes of bunnies and pumpkins cheerfully called out to the townsfolk to come and join the circus for the joyful events they have in store. The tent was set just at the outskirts of town but even so, the townsfolk still went over to buy the tickets with the little money they have and off they went into the tent and took their seats as they awaited for the circus to start. To the townsfolk, it was the one and only thing that gave them the strength to live in that dreary town of theirs.

"what's so great bout this stupid circus anyway..."

A navy haired teen with tanned skin muttered as he walked towards the tent with a light blue haired teen beside him. He was unpleased that he had to go out on such a chilly night but it was his decision to follow, to be honest. The blue haired teen sighed at her friend's comment and pushed a strand of her short hair behind her ear, deciding to say something about his words.

"It's an once in a lifetime event, Daiki-kun." She explained. "And it's one of the most famous circus in the whole country"

"tsk. That I know but..."

Daiki started grumbling to himself and the blue haired girl just chuckled at her friend. The tanned male really wasn't the type to enjoy such events but since she wanted company in the circus, he agreed to follow as they were best buddies since childhood and Daiki didn't want anything to happen to her anyway. The two paid for their tickets and entered the tent, which was already packed with people. The navy haired male groaned at the amount of people who were still trying to find seats and the smell of sweaty coats in the area while the bluenette gripped his sleeve in order to not become separated.

"oi Tetsu! Let's hurry up and grab a seat. I'm dying here"

"yes...Let's"

Using the low presence she was born with, 'Tetsu' maneuvered them towards a vacant seat and they hurriedly sat down before someone took it. A relieved sigh was released from the two and they tried to make themselves comfortable at their current seat. Daiki glanced around the place to see if the guy who sells popcorn was around so that he could get something to munch on, and when he saw him, he swore that the spectators wouldn't be able to get the popcorn at the rate he was eating the one in his hands. And _damn_ was he tall.

"hey— uh, purple guy! C'mere"

The popcorn guy turned to face him and slowly made his way towards Daiki, putting the half-eaten packet of popcorn he was eating in his pocket as he went over.

"The name's Atsushi... and what do you want?"

"popcorn, duh"

"okay... that'll be 3 copper pieces..~"

Daiki fumbled around his pockets until he found the copper pieces and handed three of them to Atsushi, who took them and stuffed them in his pocket before handing the navy haired boy a packet of popcorn. Daiki casually uttered a thanks and the purple haired guy walked off, resuming on his activity of eating. Tetsu reached into the packet and took a handful of popcorn before Daiki even started on it. The faster she grabbed some, the more she could get was what she thought. Daiki could be a glutton at times, to be honest.

A five minute duration passed and a spotlight was turned on and aimed at the middle of the tent. A male with crimson hair— the left side of his hair was gelled up, making his left ruby eye clearly visible, the other slightly covered up by his bangs, as well as the three, small purple diamonds drawn right under it —stood in the middle, the spotlight illuminating his figure. The black suit he wore made him look dashing— in contrast with the place he was in —along with the maroon shirt he wore inside, accompanied with a black tie and gloves. He looked young, either in his teens or early 20's. The male smiled and spreads both of his arms in the air before he announced, with the aid of a microphone he wore on his ear, in a smooth voice,

"ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to our Miracle Circus" The male lowered his arms and balled his right hand into a fist before opening it to reveal a white dove which appeared in a puff of white smoke, the audience 'ooh'-ing at the act. "my name is Seijuro. Pleased to meet you"

Daiki scoffed at the fake tone of friendly-ness he sensed Seijuro used but Tetsu, on the other hand, was enchanted by the man. Her baby blue eyes widened a slight bit, both having a curious glint in them, as she kept her eyes on him, which didn't go unnoticed by Daiki.

Seijuro raised his hands in the air, the dove flying away with the action, "tonight, you shall be amazed by the performances we shall present to you" The redhead then lowered his hands and made a ring appear in them, his introduction continued with a light smirk.

"and now, let the show of the century, begin!"

The hoop was tossed in the air and a small, petite girl appeared from out of nowhere— dangling on a trapeze by her legs —caught the ring in her hands and immediately released her hold on the trapeze. The audience released a gasp of horror as they thought she was going to fall to the ground but right after that, a boy grabbed the ring— him too dangling on a trapeze by his legs —and swung with the girl holding onto the ring, which she let go off soon after to swing herself upwards onto the trapeze the boy was dangling from. The moment her feet came in contact with the trapeze, she held onto the rope with one hand while the other was raised as the spectators cheered at their act.

The show continued with the act of knife-throwing by a bespectacled green haired male, in his early 20's, whose left fingers were bandaged and a purple teardrop was drawn right under his right eye. His aim was perfect, the knives he threw always missed the woman on the rotating platform, though for the thrill he purposely let the knives land just inches away from her. He pushed up his glasses once his performance was done and let a smirk cross his face, an accomplished glint appeared in his eye.

Next up was a fire-breather, a young, pretty faced blond with a orange star drawn around his right eye whose looks definitely swooned all the girls— maybe not _all_ —in the audience seat. The fact that he was shirtless served as a plus point for them. A torch was held in his hand and he swallowed the fire before breathing it out like a dragon, the flame so large that it almost hit the top section of the tent, the audience letting out gasps as a response. The flame died out and the blond just let out an innocent grin as a sign that his performance was over.

The one that took over the ring next was another bespectacled man with black hair who wore also a suit— only the blazer is replaced with a vest —accompanied with gloves worn on his hands which he held a whip in his right one. Behind him were rings of fire and as if on cue, a tiger appeared from a draped entrance they've had set and by using the whip in his hand paired with the loud voice he had, he ordered the tiger to jump through the rings of fire, which it successfully did. Along with the audience cheers, he bowed with a grin and gave a pat on the tiger's head, making it let out a short, rough purr.

Once the male left the ring, a tightrope walker made her entrance, her short brown hair styled with cute little flowers clipped on it. She walked on the tightrope with no difficulty and then slowly did a split before bending forward to stand on her hands on the rope. The audience were about to cheer in amazement when she lost balance and her hands slipped from the rope, causing herself to fall. Some screams could be heard but when she plummeted to the ground, she 'transformed' into a group of doves which flew off in an instant and the one that stood in her place was none other than Seijuro.

As the spectators were cheering at the short magic act that was shown, Seijuro bowed then raised a hand up into the air and with his smile still perfectly intact like it was part of his costume, he said, "ladies and gents, tonight's show has reached it's final stage" A chorus of 'eeh's filled the tent once the redhead announced it as they didn't want the night to end just yet.  
>Seijuro let a smirk cross his face and he continued, at the same time a girl brought in a rectangular box set on a platform with rollers.<p>

"for the finale, I would like a volunteer from the audience to come down to the ring. Well, anyone?"

The crowd started whispering to each other, wanting to go but also having a small fear of the act that was going to be performed. Almost 5 minutes passed and no one volunteered, Seijuro started to become impatient at that, though he still maintained his smile. Daiki kept his eyes on the ring but his attention wasn't at neither Seijuro or the rectangular box but rather the girl who stood right beside the redhead.

Honestly, she was a beauty. Her long pink hair was tied into two low twintails and she wore a red-green jester-ish hat which had a small bell on each of the two ends. Under her left eye was a green teardrop and around her right eye was a blue star, both colours complimenting her rosey eyes. She wore a pleated skirt— that was a little too short in Daiki's opinion —matching her hat and her top was short, covering just her chest and a little bit of her stomach, leaving her collarbone and shoulders visible until the area of her short sleeves. Her looks were stunning and all but what caught Daiki's attention the most was her smile.

It was the most beautiful smile he had ever saw ever since he lived in the town of Rione. It was an innocent and sincere smile, as that of a child. The amusement in her face was clearly seen as she stood proudly beside Seijuro, who seemed to be standing protectively in front of her. Daiki could feel himself admiring the girl, a faint blush creeping up on his cheeks as his mouth formed a small 'o' and his eyes widening just a slight bit.

Daiki glanced around the place, considering to go and volunteer himself if no one was going as he'd want to get closer to the girl— he'd also rather go down there than stay on his seat with his sore butt —but just when he was going to stand up, Tetsu had gotten ahead of him and stood up herself, lips pursed together in a fine line, trying to hide her nervousness.

"ah, the brave maiden at the top row! Please, come down"

The audience, who just noticed the female standing due to the words of the redhead, started to clap while Daiki stared at his friend, worried about letting her go down there and also silently cursing her for ruining the chance of him go down to get closer to the girl— and also getting off his sore bottom. Tetsu's eyes widened for a split second before she hurriedly went down the steps, mildly surprise that he actually noticed her, who has low presence, from way down there. A light flutter was felt in her heart which she knew was the feeling of happiness that someone could actually notice her.

"Would you mind telling us your name, Miss?" he asked.

"T- Tetsuna...My name is Tetsuna"

She said in perfect formality. Seijuro smiled and nodded in acknowledgement before turning to the pinkette beside him, "Satsuki, if you would please..."

_Satsuki.._

Daiki repeated her name in his head. It was a beautiful name which he thought really suited her. _Maybe he should consider complimenting her personally later on..._ Navy hues watched as the pinkette started to open the lid of the rectangular box, its hinges creaking at the movement of the lid opening. A click was heard once the lid reached its maximum opening limit, revealing a space in it just enough for an average person to fit in.

"Tetsuna-san," Seijuro started, "I would like you to take a look at the box and confirm that there aren't any hidden traps installed in it"

The bluenette nodded and checked every possible place for a hidden trap before turning back to the redhead and stating that there were no traps installed in it. Seijuro nodded then requested the girl to enter the box and lay down on her back with her arms kept close to herself, which she did. Satsuki then closed and secured the lid, returning to Seijuro's side after she was done.

"ladies and gentlemen." Seijuro started to say. "though I said tonight's show has come to an end, I wonder if it is, perhaps, the only thing that is ending"

A cunning smile played on his face, sending a chill down Daiki's spine. He's well aware that the redhead is a trained magician but somehow the way he said it made him feel that Tetsuna was in _real_ danger. Something inside of him was screaming for him to go and get Tetsuna out of the box as quickly as possible before it was too late.

"now," his gloved hand was slowly raised in a certain gesture which made Daiki's heart beat dangerously in his chest. "may this finale end spectacularly"

Daiki then realized why he was having such a bad feeling. With a snap of his fingers, the box was engulfed by flames and turned into ashes in just a few seconds. At first the audience were still thinking that everything was part of the plan and waited patiently for the magician to execute his next move but horror on the faces of Seijuro and Satsuki indicated otherwise. The two shouted to the staff backstage to dial the emergency number and requested them to send an ambulance immediately. Worried whispers filled the tent as the alarmed expressions of the two performers didn't leave their faces.

"what's happening?"

"did something go wrong?"

"what happened to the girl in the box?"

Daiki gritted his teeth when the person next to him asked that question and without second thought, got up from his seat and stormed towards the panicked magician and his assistant, immediately grabbing hold of his collar roughly once he got into the ring, the staff failing to stop him from entering.

"you bastard!" He angrily shouted to the mildly surprised male. "the hell did you do to Tetsu!?"

"sir please calm—"

"how the hell do you expect me to calm down!?" the navy haired male snapped at the redhead's attempt to calm him down. "Tetsu was in that goddamn thing!"

"sir, please listen to me." Seijuro calmly said, raising three fingers up, Daiki's eyes glancing over to them. "if you may, countdown to three with me"

"the hell would I—"

"_sir_. If you may."

Daiki immediately held back his words at the cold glare the redhead briefly gave him before replacing it with the usual calm expression he had. Though glares would usually mean nothing to the navy haired boy— it'll only serve as a provocation —the one that he gave sent indescribable fear though his whole body. Reluctantly, he slowly let go of his collar and he listened as the male counted down.

"three"

"two"

"one!"

In a puff of white smoke— along with a few colourful streamers and confetti accompanying it —Tetsuna appeared, her face showing a little puzzlement to what had happened as she blinked glancing around, at the exact spot the box had burnt into ashes which was just beside them. There was a short silence before the crowd applauded loudly, the sound echoing throughout the tent. Daiki stared at his friend and rushed to her, grabbing both her shoulders and checking for any scratches or burns that she might have obtained. Fortunately, there were none.

Daiki sighed in relief that she was safe and sound. If anything had happen to her, he would not have forgiven himself. Then again, he should've known that this would've happened. Magicians _do_ deceive their audience, don't they?

"everyone,"

Daiki looked over to Seijuro, who smiled at the audience but he could sense the irritation faintly present in his voice and features, a slight feeling of guilt suddenly born in him.

"we hope you enjoy the finale we planned out for you, though there was an unexpected interference..."

Seijuro muttered the last part but it was loud enough for Daiki, and also Tetsuna, to hear. The bluenette glanced over to her tall friend with a light frown on her face, mentally sending a message on how unpleased she was at him for causing trouble for others, which the tanned male instantly protested with a harsh whisper, "I was worried about you...!"

"the show officially ends tonight! We thank you for coming and we hope to see you again someday"

As soon as he uttered those words, the audience clapped before returning back to their homes, all talking about what a wonderful experience the circus was. Well, almost all of them. Feeling really guilty of his actions— though it was done out of worry for her, Tetsuna dragged Daiki by his hand to the tents where the people from the circus rest after a long day of preforming. She wanted him to at least apologize, even though she really appreciated his feelings. No matter how much he protested, she firmly kept her grip on his hand and dragged him with all the strength she had. Daiki honestly didn't want to go apologize— because in his opinion it wasn't his fault that they managed to perfectly trick him into believing the performance had gone wrong —but then he realized this was a chance for him to see Satsuki so not really complaining there.

The two kept on walking— feeling little puzzled that there were none of the circus staff around the tents —until they reached a large tent, though not as large as the tent for performance, where they heard voices coming from inside. Daiki, not wanting to let Tetsuna do it, slowly raised up the cloth at the main entrance and peeked into the tent. The smell of cigarette smoke entered his nostrils, making him wrinkle his nose, and the first thing that came to sight was the cold, ruby eyes of Seijuro which looked down on him, literally, even though Daiki was the taller one. Seated beside him was a plump man with a mustache wearing a suit, his hand rested on a small table— two wine glasses set perfectly on it —holding a cigarette with a full ash tray beside it. By how the man looked, Daiki could easily tell that he was someone with high authority.

"what are you doing here"

Seijuro questioned, obviously unpleased with the fact that someone had interrupted his time with the man.

"ah- well- uh..."

Daiki found it hard to get what he wanted to say into words under the pressure of the glare the redhead was giving him so he was thankful when Tetsuna came up from behind him and did the explaining instead. But he had to admit he felt just a little embarrassed that a girl had to help him in the situation.

"we wanted to apologize for what happened during the show. Daiki-kun really doesn't know how to control himself at times"

"that's because I thought you were—!"

"ah, that.." Seijuro uttered and got up from his seat, not before politely excusing himself from the man, then made his way towards the two teens. "There is no need to apologize. We are to blame for creating an act just to make the finale interesting."

"but because of that your show—"

Tetsuna's words were cut off by a small puff of smoke which revealed a red rose held up to her by Seijuro, accompanied by a gentle smile by him. The bluenette blinked confusingly, looking at the redhead then at the rose, then back to the redhead again, trying to figure out what he was doing.

"hush now. I have already said, there is no need to apologize."

She blinked again before taking the rose from him when he gestured for her to take it, a light blush forming on her face at the tender act of the redhead. Daiki let out a loud huff, as if he was disapproving the interaction between the two, then took Tetsuna by her hand, saying,

"okay we've finished apologizing and shit so let's go"

"eh, ah, okay..."

The bluenette gave a polite bow to both Seijuro and the plump man before leaving the tent with Daiki. Unknown to her, the greedy eyes of the man didn't leave her figure the whole time she was in his sight. He lightly stroked the left side of his mustache with his free hand, eyeing the entrance of the tent as Seijuro made his way back to his seat beside him. The man brought his cigarette to his lips and took a puff before asking Seijuro, his deep voice bounced across the tent.

"is that the young maiden you were talking about?"

Seijuro glanced at the plump man and took his time to take a sip from the wine glass before answering his question.

"yes."

"she certainly does have a rather low presence. I didn't notice her until you two were talking"

"it is a gift, might I say. Such low presence is very rare."

"indeed..." A malicious grin slowly spread on the features of the man as he took another puff of his cigarette. "she would make an interesting addition to my, '_collection_'..."

Seijuro's hand on the wine glass twitched and he looked over to the man, who picked up his own wine glass and raised it up, making it illuminated by the candles placed around the tent.

"I want her, Seijuro. Obtain her for me"

His grip on the wine glass tightened though his expression was as empty as ever. After a silent pause, Seijuro closed his eyes and gave a light nod.

"understood..."

"...master."

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><p><strong><em>aaaah finally had the time and motivation to do this-<em>**  
><strong><em>this is just the introduction for the upcoming events and I really hope I don't get a block for this one-<em>**  
><strong><em>hope you enjoy and I would appreciate if you could give some comments on it<br>Thanks for reading!_**


	2. An Offer

_**Disclaimer: everything belongs to their rightful owners.**_

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><p>After their 'mission' on apologizing to Seijuro, Tetsuna and Daiki were on their way out of the circus, wanting to hurry and curl up in their beds but unfortunately, it seemed a little hard for that to happen, they realized as they continued walking in the area in circles.<p>

"Daiki-kun...I think we're lost.."

Tetsuna murmured as she glanced around, one tent looking very similar to the other. They've been going on like this for who knows how long but long enough for Tetsuna to confirm that they were definitely lost, no matter how absurd it seems, considering the place they were at.

"don't be silly why the hell would we be lost in a place like this?"

Daiki scoffed, absolutely convinced that they weren't lost at all. It was just that their destination was far. That's all.

"but we've seen this tent before. Just admit that we're lost"

"all of them look the same"

Tetsuna just shook her head and looked around, trying to find someone she could ask for directions to exit the area. Her blue eyes caught sight of a shade of pink from behind of the tents and she hurried towards that way, remembering that there was a person who had the colour for her hair. Daiki, who didn't notice Tetsuna's absence, kept on looking around for the exit. It wasn't after he heard a squeak that he noticed she wasn't beside him anymore.

"Tetsu?"

He followed the source of the squeak and saw Tetsuna looking innocently at a girl, who instantly made Daiki's heart beat faster the moment he saw her. The girl, Satsuki, looked over to Daiki who just arrived, her hand on her chest, still beating fast from the shock Tetsuna gave her from suddenly 'appearing' beside her out of nowhere.

"ah, you two...!"

Satsuki exclaimed, remembering the two from the finale incident, her pink orbs widening by a fraction. Daiki rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he was the one who created a ruckus over a magic trick (which in a way wasn't his fault given the circumstances) and shifted his gaze from the pink haired female. Satsuki, who noticed his action, put her hands behind her back and smiled warmly at the boy.

"I know Tetsuna-chan's name but I believe I don't know yours. Mind telling me?"

"..Daiki. It's Daiki"

He said after a pause. The girl smiled a little wider and gave a nod.

"I see. I'm sure you're familiar with my name but let me introduce myself again." She held out a hand to him. "I'm Satsuki. Sei-ku— I mean, Seijuro-kun's assistant. Nice to meet you"

The nickname she almost used didn't go unnoticed by Daiki but he chose not to say a word about it and just took her hand.

"nice to meet ya too"

Tetsuna smiled beside Daiki as the two let go of each other's hands. It was nice to see her friend become acquainted with someone either than her. Due to Daiki's physical appearance, not many have the guts to come close to him. He's considered a titan in the small town after all (of course since they've never seen a _real_ titan with the height of two meters) so seeing how Satsuki wasn't afraid of him made her really happy.

"by the way, what are you two still doing here? The show is already over so...?"

Daiki and Tetsuna exchanged glances and felt a little embarrassed to tell her since getting lost in the tent area isn't exactly something easy to admit but they told her anyway. They needed directions to go home after all. With a giggle, Satsuki pointed her finger straight forward, the two teens turning to look at the direction.

"go straight and you'll be able to return to town. But,"

Daiki and Tetsuna turned back to her with an eyebrow raised. The word 'but' is never something good. Well, depending on the situation, of course.

"it's dangerous to walk in the outskirts at this time of night" she explained. "it's the time when the ghouls come out to feast"

_"Ghouls come out to feast on anyone wandering in the night."_ Something the people in the area tell their children so that they won't wander around outside when the sun has gone down. No one knew the source of it but they believe it. They believe it because someone had said that he had witnessed a ghoul wandering in town at night and took away a child with it. Of course, there was no way to confirm it but would anyone take chances of a doubt?

"but that's just a myth" Daiki scoffed. He was one of the rare people in town who didn't believe in the whole 'ghoul' story.

"well..." Satsuki smiled. But it wasn't the cheerful smile she would always give. "there are many ways a person can interpret a _ghoul_-ish figure, isn't there?"

Daiki's eyebrow raised a little higher and he scoffed again.

"is there now"

Tetsuna who was silent the whole time the two were talking locked her eyes on Satsuki, a part of her feeling a little suspicious of the way she talked about the so-called ghouls. It seemed to her that she knew— if not personally —a thing or two about the ghouls. The way she smiled as if she was hiding something planted a feeling of curiousity in her but she really couldn't explain why she felt a little uneasy as well. Like there was more to the story than just simply it being just a myth.

"anyway, I think it's best if you wait until the sun rises before returning home. We can provide you with a place to stay, though it wouldn't be much.."

Daiki rubbed the back of his neck and let out a small sigh. "if you insist..."

The pinkette smiled widely before gesturing to the two to follow her. "I'd like to introduce you two to the first string members if that's okay. Since you two are staying for the night, might as well get acquainted, don't you think? At least that way you could ask for help when needed"

"sounds wonderful" Tetsuna uttered, letting a smile grace her features. "we'll be in your care then"

Satsuki just giggled at her words and continued walking towards another large tent— though not as large as the one before —then proceeded to go in, happily greeted the ones inside. Daiki and Tetsuna wasn't really sure what to do so they just awkwardly followed behind her. The moment they entered, they felt pairs of eyeballs turning their way, making them feeling a little nervous.

"nn? Sacchin, you brought people...?" The purple titan from before, who named himself as Atsushi, asked lazily as he munched on a pack of chips seated at the far end of the table. There were quite a number of crumbs on his clothes but he didn't seem to care.

"those two... Aren't they the ones during the finale?" The green haired dagger thrower, who was seated a little further from Atsushi, uttered, pushing up his glasses. His lips were in the form of a frown as he scanned the two 'strangers'. The blond seated beside him— still shirtless like he was from the show, making Daiki wonder if whether or not he felt chilly being in that fashion —excitedly raised his voice, a childish grin present on his face.

"aah! You're right! That's the guy who wanted to punch Seijurocchi!"

"oi who said I wanted to—"

"you should be glad the kid didn't do anything to you" A brunette— who Tetsuna recognized as the tightrope walker —cut off Daiki's sentence with a smirk on her face as she was seated comfortably, you could say, on the table, a glass of wine was held in her hand.

"the last time someone went against Seijuro-kun, he became traumatized by whatever he did to him"

Daiki visibly cringed at the scenarios that started playing in his head at the brunette's words. Somehow, he could just _feel_ what the person went through.

"that brat" The spectacled animal tamer from before, who was seated just beside the brunette though not on the table, scoffed and slammed his beer glass on the table. "he's too high and mighty for a brat. Respect your elders dammit..!"

"Junpei, you've had too much to drink" The brunette lightly hit Junpei on the head which he reacted with only a frown and a mutter of "I didn't even drink much"

Satsuki giggled at the two's actions and turned to Daiki and Tetsuna, who were wondering if their presence had been forgotten. Not that it was surprising for that to happen to Tetsuna.

"let me introduce you. The one at the far end eating is Atsu—"

"we met already, Sacchin..~" "is that so? Well then...the one with the glasses and also a helpless frown," she giggled at this "near Akkun is Shintarou-kun. The blond is Ryouta-kun. She's Riko-san and beside her is her dear boyfriend, Junpei-san~"

Satsuki gestured to the person she was introducing and giggled again at the end. Riko lightly blushed at her statement and shouted out a "hey! Don't go telling others about us so easily!" accompanied by the pointing of her finger to Satsuki. Daiki grunted as if it was a perfect response for the introduction and Tetsuna smiled at the liveliness.

"everyone seems close.. Have you been working together for a while?" The bluenette asked.

"not exactly" Ryouta explained. "we're all from the same district so we've been together as long as we can remember"

It was Daiki's turn to ask, "you guys the same age?"

"my, is that how it seems?~" Riko said, looking absolutely flattered for some reason.

Satsuki let out a giggle before answering, "no. Riko-san and Jun-san are a little older than us"

Daiki hummed as a response and glanced around the place. It look very homely for a tent and the way the members communicate with each other made them seem like they were family. Well, they did say they were from the same district..

"wait, where's that Seijuro guy? He's a first string member too, right?"

Daiki suddenly asked, making the first string members in the tent— who were chatting about their plans for tonight —turn to face him. They stopped to wonder for a while and Atsushi chose to answer his question. Well, not exactly answer...

"dunno. Maybe Sei-chin is talking with—"

"did you need me for something?"

Seijuro's voice from behind Daiki cut off the purple haired boy's sentence— in an almost-too-good timing —and Ryouta instantly waved at his direction.

"Seijurocchi~ Come join us! We got some newly opened wine!"

Shintarou glared at the blond in irritation and scooted further away from him, not wanting to stay any closer and have his ears ruined by that loud voice of his. Seijuro smiled lightly at the offer but shook his head.

"no thanks, Ryouta." he said politely. "I have already had enough to drink for tonight."

Daiki was reminded of when he and Tetsuna went to apologize the moment he said that. He certainly was drinking wine at that time. The navy haired male glanced over to Tetsuna, who had conveniently moved from his right to his left— perhaps to distance herself from a certain redhead —giving a short moment of panic to the male before he noticed her in her shifted position.

_don't scare me dammit... _

"anyway, did you need me for something?"

The redhead inquired once again. He looked a little impatient, as if he had another schedule to attend to. Daiki blinked a few times before realizing that he was asking him and he hurriedly answered,

"n- no! not really. Just wondering where you were..."

Seijuro quirked an eyebrow and just uttered a "is that so.." before turning over to Tetsuna. It made Daiki wonder how he could know where she was with such ease when he would always have to looked around like a maniac before discovering where she was. And that's always when she calls out to him. So it really intrigued Daiki to how he managed to do that.

"Tetsuna-san, do you mind coming with me for a while? There is someone who would like to meet you"

The girl stared at him confusingly and asked who the person was, which was only responded with a "you will see...". Somehow it gave Tetsuna a bad feeling and she felt that it's better to say no but she didn't really have a reason to decline. She was staying the night here after all so the excuse of "I want to return home" was definitely not available. So all that's left is just to agree.

"wait." Daiki interrupted. "I'm coming with you."

The displeasure in Seijuro's face was evident but Daiki didn't back down on his decision. Only for this he had to be more stubborn than usual and go against this red demon (in Daiki's head the image of a demon would automatically appear when he sees Seijuro for some reason). There was no way he would let Tetsuna go anywhere in this foreign place alone, especially with him. A chilling gaze was sent to Daiki by Seijuro gave a reply to his demand.

"no. That person wants to meet Tetsuna-san personally. Without any _unwanted_ guests."

The redhead stated, emphasizing on the word 'unwanted' which successfully made Daiki flinch. Even so, the navy haired male stubbornly insisted that he would follow. The two males stared at each other, waiting and wanting the other to back down. Daiki was a little unnerved by Seijuro's stare but tried his best to cover up his emotions. Seijuro, on the other hand...

Tetsuna couldn't really tell what was he feeling deep inside but what she could sense was that Seijuro was getting a little anxious for some reason, though it was hardly visible to most of the ones present in the tent. The bluenette has a talent for human observation so she could read other people's emotions pretty well. The way Seijuro's fists were lightly clenched by his side and his lips were pressed into a fine line made her wonder, what was it that was making him feel uneasy? Was Daiki's demand that much of an unreasonable one? _If so, why..?_

"um" Tetsuna spoke up all of a sudden. "I would like it if Daiki-kun comes along. It will make it less awkward for me. Please let Daiki-kun come along with us"

The redhead looked over at the girl who wore an expression of determination and stayed silent for a moment. He didn't want to agree because of strict orders from that person but if he were to disagree again, he might make her reluctant to come along. As it is, she already is.

"...very well." Seijuro finally said, letting a small sigh escape his lips. "You may come. But only on the condition that you must listen to my instructions the whole time. Understood?"

Daiki nodded at that and Seijuro let out another sigh. He wasn't following direct orders but... Satsuki walked over to his side, a rather worried expression on her face, and whispered in his ear.

"are you sure about this?"

Seijuro just closed his eyes and replied, "it can't be helped. If he does not come she also might not. I can't risk that." _For our sake, I can't.._

Satsuki sadly looked at the redhead before muttering a soft "I see..." and watched as he guided the two out of the tent. An unshakable feeling of worry filled her heart. Silently, she prayed that nothing bad would happen tonight.

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><p>Seijuro guided Daiki and Tetsuna to a tent that seemed to be set for a v.i.p or someone similar to that. It wasn't exactly big but it was different from the other tents, with the small lanterns hanging at each of the corners of the tent and the other decorations that made it look rather fancy. Seijuro asked the two to wait outside for a minute and he proceeded to go in the tent. Few moments later he came out and gestured for them to enter.<p>

The interior of the tent was a lot more fancier than the outer part and seated on a large cushiony chair with a small table in front of it was the plump man Tetsuna and Daiki had seen before. He smiled at first seeing the bluenette when Seijuro introduced her to him— initially he couldn't see her but when Seijuro pointed out where she was he noticed —but the smile soon disappeared when he saw Daiki standing beside her. Rather protectively, might I add. He shot a questioning glare at Seijuro which made him avoid eye contact with the man. The man then just grunted and sat up before walking over to Tetsuna.

"good evening, young lady" he greeted with friendliness in his voice. "sorry for making you stay here at this time of night. I just wanted to have a small chat with you. Please, sit down"

The man gently placed on Tetsuna's back, the girl tensing up a little at the touch, and guided her to a chair placed just opposite of the one he was sitting on. Not wanting her to be even a millimeter away from him with the man, Daiki immediately raised his foot to follow her but was stopped by Seijuro, who prevented him from going and mouthed a "stay put". Daiki was about to give a protest but he then remembered his deal with Seijuro and kept his mouth shut.

"so, Tetsuna-san, am i right?" The man asked.

"yes but...how do you..?"

"Seijuro told me your name. It's a nice one"

"..thanks"

There was something about the smile he was giving her and the way that his greedy eyes examined her figure that gave a chill down her spine. She felt extremely uncomfortable by the gaze but was unable to find the words to say it in a way that wouldn't offend him.

"anyways, the reason I wanted to meet you is— oh dear, I haven't told you my name have I?" he said in realization. "I'm Karasawa Tsujirou. Just call me Tsujirou"

The girl nodded and politely uttered a "nice to meet you" as common courtesy. Tsujirou then, without any ado, continued with his words from before.

"as I was saying, the reason I requested Seijuro to bring you here is because I wanted to give you an offer"

"an offer...?"

Tetsuna blinked confusingly at the smiling face of the man, trying to process what sort of offer did he want to give her. An idea or two did come to minds but she can't really say if that is the truth. At the corner of her eye, she could see Daiki sending suspicious glares to Tsujirou and Seijuro standing beside him, acting as if he was a butler to the man.

"yes."

His smile widened. Tetsuna could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest but she kept a straight face. She didn't want to show any weaknesses. Something told her that if she showed any sort of emotion to this person, it's her lose.

"Tetsuna-san, would you like to join us?"

"...pardon?"

"I'm asking if you would like to join our circus, my dear"

The question totally caught Tetsuna off guard. Daiki as well. His eyes nearly popped out and if it wasn't for Seijuro who slapped his hand on his mouth, he would've been shouting right at this moment. Who would've thought that she would be asked to join the circus— one of the best one at that. The girl didn't know how to respond to his question but her answer was already obvious.

"I'm sorry but I would have to decline that offer."

Her firm statement surprised Tsujirou and without a doubt irked him. His smile twitched and he chose to ask why she declined.

"because," Tetsuna said. "I have a family to return to and I will not leave them for your circus."

Her family, which is now only just her sickly grandmother. There was no way she would leave her alone to fend for herself. She couldn't leave the town she was born and raised in, even with how the economy was. She also couldn't leave Daiki just for a place in the circus. There are too many important things that she is not willing to leave just for a circus. And after all, watching the show is much more enjoyable then being the show.

Tsujirou's smile was faltering and his fists were clenched tightly on his lap. The attempt to hold back his anger was apparent.

"is that so...too bad.. I would've loved it if you had joined us.." he uttered, gritting his teeth.

Tetsuna stood up from her seat and gave a slight bow. "once again I'm sorry. Excuse me"

The girl walked out the tent, Daiki following a few steps behind her and Seijuro just watched their backs getting further from them, the moonlight illuminating their figures. A loud thump was heard from behind and the redhead turned around. Tsujirou's fist was on the small table, trembling with rage. As if it was something usual, Seijuro didn't bat an eyelash and walked over to him.

"mas—"

"Seijuro."

Tsujirou cut off Seijuro's words with a voice that was no longer friendly as before. It was now filled with rage and anger.

"I told you, didn't I? Obtain her. No matter what the method is"

"...understood."

There was a moment of hesitance before Seijuro responded to the order. His ruby eyes stared at the ground below, void from any kind emotion.

_The fact that I'm used to all this...is pitiful..._

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><p>The sun still hasn't risen up in the sky when Tetsuna found herself awake from bed, a snoring Daiki beside her and her bedhead as ridiculous as ever. The two treated each other like siblings so sleeping together was something normal for the two.<p>

The girl glanced around her surrounding with half asleep eyes and decided to take a step outside the tent they were in. she was greeted by the cool air of the night and she let out a relaxed sigh. One thing she loved about Rione is that during the night time, it had the most comforting feeling anyone could ever ask for.

She walked around slowly around the tent, enjoying the cool air when all of a sudden, she felt a hand grab her upper arm and another covering her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise and fear and she struggled to escape with all her might but slowly she lost the strength in her body and her eyes became heavy. In a few seconds, darkness was the only thing she could see.

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading!<em>**


	3. A Caged Bird

_**Disclaimer: everything belongs to their rightful owners.**_

_**Note: Thanks to those who reviewed and lol I re-read the last two chapters and you're right www it does remind me of Kuroshitsuji www didn't realize that www maybe coz of the circus theme www  
><strong>_

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><p>Daiki woke up with the weirdest bump on his head— what was weird was that he didn't even remember bumping his head anywhere —and an extreme chill on his body. His feet were like ice and he could hardly move them. The blanket he was covered by comfortably last night wasn't on him anymore and for some reason the 'roof' of the tent was transparent.<p>

"what the hell..."

Daiki sat up and realized that he was sleeping smack in the middle of where the circus site was suppose to be and that there were only the dead trees in the area, which was actually common. The circus tents were nowhere to be seen and it was as if they had disappeared during the night. The only thing left was only the tiny amount of trash from popcorn and plastic cups, serving as a proof that the circus was really there and not just some imagination of his.

The boy furrowed his brows— confused to why the hell was he staring at an empty space —and turned to wake Tetsuna up so that he could ask her about what the hell was happening but the moment he looked over to his right, he realized that she wasn't there anymore. There was only an empty space of short grass at the place she was suppose to be sleeping. It only took a moment for Daiki to process what was going on and he sprung up then started to frantically look for his friend was. He called out her name multiple times, begging deep inside his heart for her to suddenly show up beside him and answer his calls.

_She might have just went back to town _

_No, she wouldn't have went alone _

_Toilet? _

_Yeah, maybe she did _

_But... Tetsu wouldn't go without telling me _

_A- Ah it must be that _

_This is just the normal thing _

_I just didn't notice her _

_She's gonna appear out of nowhere like always _

_She's gonna say "I'm here, Daiki-kun. From the start" _

_She's just beside me— She has to be! _

No matter how much Daiki pleaded and wished in his heart, Tetsuna didn't show up. Silence was the only thing he could hear. Though there weren't any evidence to what had actually happened, the navy haired boy reached to a conclusion in his head that someone— top on the list was a certain expressionless redhead —had taken her away, given the fact that the area was practically abandoned as if someone was running away. They had taken her away... _even though he was with her._ Daiki gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so hard that they were turning white. How could have he let this happen? She was with him— right beside him! —and he had let something happen to her.

"Tetsu..."

Not wanting to waste another minute standing there and blaming himself, Daiki ran off back to town, hoping to gather information on Tetsuna's whereabouts. He didn't care whether if he had to travel to other towns or places. Whatever he must do he will if it is to find his precious [_shadow_].

_I'll find you... Definitely... Just wait for me, Tetsu!_

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><p>The creaking of a ceiling fan echoed throughout the tiny room where only a bed and a small closet was the furniture in the place. The bricked walls had cracks in certain parts and seemed to be years old. The entrance, however, seemed a little newer than the interior, with its door having a brighter colour compared to the walls. It was a little dusty and had minor scratches here and there but nonetheless still looked new. There was only a small window that served as ventilation and a small light bulb as a light source.<p>

Along with the sound of soft rustling, a colour of blue slowly made its way out of the covers, a soft groan was let out along with the movements. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim surrounding and when they did, they widened to a certain extent in shock. There were a lot of things she couldn't comprehend like, where on Earth is she? Who brought her here? _Why was she even here?_ A million questions ran through her head and when the door creaked open, she knew that she would find the answers to them.

"ah, you have awakened..."

Seijuro, who had entered, uttered in a soft voice as he made his way towards her, prompting her to sit up straight. There was a folded piece of clothing in his hands which he gently placed on the edge of the bed, avoiding eye contact with the bluenette for some reason.

"change into this and hurry to the dining hall. Tsujirou-sama requests for your presence."

Unwilling to just follow his orders without knowing more of the situation she was in, Tetsuna reached out and gripped the sleeve of his suit before he could leave. The redhead's eyes widened slightly at her sudden action but he didn't try to make her let go as he knew what she was going to ask.

"everything will be answered by Tsujirou-sama during dinner. Just change into the clothing I brought you."

The two stared at each other, Seijuro waiting for her to let go and Tetsuna still deciding whether to just let that be his answer for now. Eventually, she released his sleeve and in a voice which hid her fear she uttered, "fine.."

Seijuro gave a nod and walked over to the door to let her have her privacy to change. Once again the creaking of the door as it opened was heard and before Seijuro closed it, he glanced over to Tetsuna and gently said, "I will escort you to the dining hall once you are done."

Tetsuna softly said a "thank you" and the door was closed. With a sigh, the girl swung her legs to the side of the bed and glanced over to the clothing that the redhead had brought her. Carefully, she picked then raised it up to get a better look at the clothing under the dim lighting. The moment she raised it up, the clothing became unfolded, revealing a dress with the colour of snow with a light blue ribbon wrapped around the waist area. It was the most beautiful thing Tetsuna had ever seen in her entire life. The dresses sold in Rione were all rather dull compared to the one she was holding, making her hesitate on putting it on, though she was asked to. She just felt that it would be a pity if she ruined it in any way somehow during the dinner.

"Tetsuna-san?"

A light knock was heard on the door and she turned to face it. It was Seijuro. She had nearly forgot that he was waiting outside to escort— the word somehow felt weird in her head —her over to the dinning hall. Hurriedly, she changed into the dress with utter care— somehow feeling a little awkward at the absence of a mirror for her to see how she looked in it —and let Seijuro open the door when he once again called out to her. A nod was given by the redhead when he saw her in the dress and with a small smile, he offered his hand— which she took —and lead her out of the room.

Seijuro's hold on her hand was secure as they walked through a small and dark passageway— a claustrophobic person would've lost it here —before climbing up some stairs to a door which revealed a corridor once it was opened, its size two— no, perhaps more than that —times bigger than the tiny passageway they passed through seconds ago. The redhead let go of her hand once they arrived at the corridor and proceeded to lock the door they came out from. For what reason he locked it? That remained a mystery for Tetsuna.

"Let's proceed"

Seijuro said, gesturing for Tetsuna to follow him. She gave him a careful nod and walked just a few steps behind him, observing the corridor they were walking through. They seemed to be in a mansion, Tetsuna concluded as they walked through the large corridor. She took note of the amount of paintings and other seemingly expensive decorations hung up on the walls. There were some of the famous ones too like Picasso, she recognized. Things that someone who manages a circus would unlikely have. Seeing how fancy the place was, Tetsuna figured that the room she was in must've been a storage room of some sort or a place to hold—

The sound of a door knob being turned snapped her out of her thoughts and she realized that they had already arrived at the dining hall, where Tsujirou was sitting at a long table with multiple varieties of high class food was set, accompanied by a bottle of wine. Tsujirou didn't seem to notice her beside Seijuro so the redhead politely informed the man that he had brought her along with him, just like he was ordered.

"aah good work, Seijuro." Tsujirou turned to the girl and said with a smile, "come, sit down, Tetsuna"

Cautiously, she sat down beside him, Seijuro courteously pulling her chair back for her to sit. She uttered a thanks and turned her attention back to Tsujirou. Hearing her name being called by him made her feel a little uncomfortable but she didn't show it, keeping her poker face on. She doesn't trust the man at all as there was no reason to and he is the one who kidnapped her here after all. Why would one trust his kidnapper? For now, all she has to do is to not show any hostility towards the man and somehow get information on where she was then plan a way to escape. Since he is the big man of the place, he must know a lot. If he won't answer, however...

"The dress suits you."

Tsujirou complimented, looking pleased with himself. _He must be the one who chose it_— Tetsuna mused.

"Thank you.." she said. "ano.. may I know—"

"before you ask any questions dear," he interrupted, "help yourself to the food that I have prepared. You must be hungry"

Certainly, yes she was. She hadn't eaten anything since last night except for the popcorn she and Daiki shared so her stomach was grumbling but, she declined the offer. Tsujirou seemed like he was avoiding her questions and she couldn't have that. Besides, what if he had put something in the food? She couldn't take any risks. No matter what, she can't let him gain the upper hand.

"well, what about some wine? I have some that I've just received from a friend" he offered.

Tetsuna shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I don't drink..."

Tsujirou muttered an "is that so..." and turned to his food, obviously unpleased that the bluenette had declined every single one of his offers. But he wasn't the type to give up easily. So, with his greedy smile, he glanced over to Tetsuna and said,

"the reason I 'brought' you here, you see, is because I really want you to be one of us. One of the members of the circus."

"I'm sure I have given my answer." Tetsuna firmly said but still not forgetting to keep her words polite. "I don't want to be a member of your circus."

"now, don't say that. You won't regret it at all, young lady. Am I right, Seijuro?"

The redhead was silent for a moment before he emotionlessly uttered an agreement. Tsujirou was pleased with his answer and said "see?" to Tetsuna, as if his words were a great proof that she should consider the circus life. The girl wasn't really paying attention to Tsujirou, as the actions of Seijuro were more of an interest to her compared to the offer. To her, Seijuro seemed like he was hiding something. What it was, she could not say, but what was certain was that what he's hiding is definitely a topic that needs to be brought to light. _He seemed rather burdened after all... _

"so Tetsuna," he said, requesting her attention to return to him. "might you reconsider?"

"..no."

There wasn't even a moment of hesitation for her answer. With this, Tsujirou knew that he couldn't persuade the girl to join his circus. That he couldn't obtain her no matter what he did. _Unless..._

"..is that so...too bad.."

Tetsuna felt a chill down her spine when the tone of Tsujirou's voice changed. It sounded cold, unlike the naturally-friendly voice he had used before. His eyes were now rid of the 'kindness' and only showed a malicious gleam. By reflex, Tetsuna slowly got up from her chair and planned to just make a run for it— as she had a really bad feeling that something would happen to her if she didn't take the chance to escape _immediately_ —but then unfortunately, with a snap of the man's fingers serving as a signal, Seijuro held her in a strong grip at her upper arms, preventing her from moving from her spot. Fear showed on the girl's face at the moment the redhead grabbed her— though she tried hard to hide it —and Tsujirou smiled cunningly at this, raising his wine glass up as he uttered,

"it's too bad that you won't be joining us voluntarily. It would've been more easier for you, and for us, that way"

"—! What are you planning to do with me" Tetsuna questioned, her forehead slightly creased.

"well..." Tsujirou smirked. "for one, I'm going to make you the most successful circus girl in town. 'Tetsuna, the invisible girl!', like that"

"I told you I decline—"

"you have no choice" Tsujirou said cutting her off. "bring her back to her room and help her prepare for tonight, Seijuro"

"understood. Let's go, Tetsuna-san"

After a short bow, Seijuro easily brought Tetsuna out of the dining hall as ordered to, even though the girl was struggling quite a lot with all her strength. She even tried elbowing his stomach but the grip on her upper arm pretty much prevented any possible movement from that limb. The girl would've let out a curse out of frustration but she knew better than to do so. It would be.. improper. And she didn't like to use such words anyways. Instead, she let out a sigh and decided to just obediently let Seijuro drag her back to her room. She would have to think of another way to get way. Seijuro opened the door to her room and let her enter first— releasing his iron grip on her —before closing the door behind him. He looked over to Tetsuna— who was staring at him, slight anger shown in her eyes as she rubbed her sore arm —and closed his eyes, an expression of remorse was faintly formed on his face.

"I apologize for having to be rough with you." he said. "I was just following orders."

It was rather a surprise— a pleasant one, to be honest —to hear an apology coming from him, the person who probably kidnapped her and forcefully brought her back into this old room, but that didn't really change a thing. Apology or no apology, he is someone who is working with Tsujirou so he shouldn't be trusted, Tetsuna told herself over and over again, though a part of her wanted to trust him. Something about the way he acted told her that he wasn't like Tsujirou, evil and scheming but there was nothing that could prove any of that. It could just be something she wanted to believe.

Tetsuna tightened her grip on her arm and took a deep breath before firmly stating,

"Please let me go."

Her blue eyes were still fixed on the redhead who stood by the door. Probably to not give her any chance to escape. Seijuro slowly opened his eyes and glanced over to her, an unexplainable look was in his eyes as they peeked through his long bangs. The room was then filled with silence as they stared at each other. As she was making direct eye contact with him, Tetsuna noticed how cold and beautiful his eyes were. They were a stunning colour of ruby, showing such little emotion to the world. His eyelashes were rather long, complimenting the elegant feline-like shape of his eyes. Her gaze then unconsciously trailed to his hair from his bangs that were slightly covering his eyes. His crimson hair seemed so soft even though they were rather spiky. She wondered how it would feel like.

_...don't lose focus, Tetsuna. _

She scolded herself. Thinking of how good looking Seijuro is won't get her anywhere. All she should think of now is..

"unfortunately," Seijuro finally responded. "I can't do that. I would be disobeying direct orders."

"but, I have to return home" Tetsuna argued but her voice was kept in a normal volume. "Please, let me go"

Seijuro shook his head, "I've already told you. I can't. Now, let's get prepared for—"

"why can't you?" Tetsuna interrupted. She wasn't going to back down just yet. "why can't you let me go?"

_How persistent..._ "I just can't."

"if you don't have a reason to keep me here then you should just let me—"

"Why can't you understand?!"

Tetsuna visibly flinched and her eyes widened at the sudden raise of voice, puzzled to why the seemingly calm and collected person would suddenly lose his composure. Seijuro himself didn't know what came over him that made him raise his voice. All he knew was that his body started trembling all of a sudden during their conversation and when he envisioned the enraged face of Tsujirou, he just snapped.

"I told you I can't do that! If I did that and Tsujirou-sama were to find out—"

Seijuro stopped himself from saying anything any further and looked away from the girl. The painful expression on his face wasn't missed by her and it made her question, _what was it about Tsujirou that got him so riled up?_ A sigh was breathed out from the redhead and he returned his gaze to the bluenette, his usual expression now replacing the look from before.

"I apologize for shouting at you. The clothes you need to wear for tonight is already prepared in the closet over there. Satsuki will come over later to see if you will be needing any other assistance."

Seijuro was about to leave when Tetsuna decided that she should at least say a word of apology to him as well. She did kind of forced him into a corner with her persistent request to let her go.

"ano, Seijuro-san—"

"please," he said, voice almost in a whisper. "don't talk to me"

With that, he exited the room, leaving the girl alone. Guilt filled her heart, thinking that she must've triggered something unpleasant inside of him that made him raise his voice like that. He looked.. so scared. The more she pushed him to release her the more fear showed in his eyes. Were the consequences just so horrible?... Tetsuna softly sighed and glanced over to the small window in her room.

_Later... I have to apologize to him..._

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><p>Seijuro walked down the large corridor they had passed before, his head kept low, causing his bangs to cover his eyes. It was a mistake. It was a total mistake for him to lose his calm composure in front of a stranger. It would only make her get curious and <em>if she investigates into the matter... <em>

The redhead slowly ceased his footsteps and came to a stop in front of a painting, his ruby eyes glancing over to the large object. A painting of two blue birds. One was flying high up in the air, enjoying the view of nature down below. The other, however, was looking up to the first bird, a look of longing drawn in its eyes as it continued to gaze upon the one up in the air from its small cage. The redhead narrowed his eyes slightly, as if in the form of sorrow, as he continued to gaze at the painting.

"a caged bird who yearns to be free...huh..."

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for Reading!<em>**


	4. Bad Children

_**Disclaimer: everything belongs to their rightful owners.**_  
><strong><em>Note: sorry for the late update! I had exams for the last two weeks and didn't have much time to finish this chapter. ( - ) As a form of apology (sorta), this chapter is kinda longer than the other so I hope it makes up to the two weeks I didn't update uvu" Well, we're having holidays now sooo I have loads of time to do the other chapters andIhopeIdon'tgetdistractedbyanything shot Hope you enjoy and thank you for all the follows & favs, guys! I really appreciate them ヽ(；▽；)ノ_**

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><p>They always say that things don't always go the way you plan but this situation was just too much for the travelling Daiki. He was making his way, that evening, through a path in the woods that is supposedly a shortcut to the next town when all of a sudden it started raining. At first it was just drizzling but then it got heavier and heavier then eventually it became a fierce storm with strong winds and lightning. Not only couldn't he continue on his journey, he couldn't find a decent place to shelter from the storm. The only place that could actually serve as one was a shallow cave he came across when he was running in the rain. Though it didn't seem very comfortable, he had no choice if he wanted to stay safe from the storm.<p>

Daiki let out a curse when he entered the cave, his clothes already drenched with rain water and the small sling bag he brought with him also in the same state. Thankfully, he had wrapped his things in plastic so they stayed dry. Tetsuna's advice really was effective. Daiki sat down on the uneven ground and leaned against the wall of the cave, letting a tired sigh escape his lips. He wasn't sure how long he had spent trudging along the path but he was sure that it had been hours since he departed, due to his aching feet. He was really grateful he was athletic. Otherwise, he might have already passed out half-way through. His navy eyes watched as the rain kept on getting heavier and heavier every second, not showing any signs of stopping.

The boy breathed out a sigh and decided to close his eyes and take a nap while waiting for the rain to stop. As his eyes slowly closed, he thought about what Tetsuna was doing at the moment. Was she safe? Were the people of the circus doing anything evil to her? He hoped not. If anything would've happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

_Tetsu..._

Daiki slowly drifted off to sleep, silently praying for the safety of his dear friend.

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><p>The weather had cleared the next morning when Daiki woke up and he immediately set off to resume his journey on going to the next town, ignoring his now aching back. He must've slept on a rock or something last night. After a few back cracking to ease the pain, he trudged along the path once again with determination. He was going to find Tetsuna and bring her back no matter, quote, what kind of shit the kidnappers would throw at him. Though, personally he hoped that the escape would be smooth sailing so that he wouldn't have to waste any energy dealing with them.<p>

As he continued down the path, he happened to see an old woman slowly walking along the same path with her wooden stick as a support. There was a small bundle at the top end of the stick which seemed to be carrying a sphere-shaped item. The woman's face was covered by the hood of the black robe she was wearing. She looked like any creepy old woman you'd meet in the woods. Daiki felt that not uttering a word to the old woman and just quickly walk past her would be a good choice but apparently, the woman didn't think that way.

"travelling?"

The boy turned to face his left where the woman was looking up at him with a smile on her wrinkle-filled face. Daiki blinked a few times before actually replying to her question.

"y- yea"

"where to?"

"the next town"

"is that so?" her smile widened, the wrinkles under her eyes seemingly increased. "I just came from there. What business do you have from the next town?"

Daiki didn't know how to answer this one. Of course he couldn't answer 'my friend was kidnapped by some people who might be in the next town so I'm just gonna go there and get her back'. Nope.

As he hurriedly tried to think of what to say, the woman— as if she read his mind —gave a questionable smile and said, "the circus migrates a lot so that what they do in the darkness isn't traced easily but, the main house of the leader for those people is definitely in the outskirts of the next town."

Daiki blinked in total confusion, trying to process how she knew what his motive of travelling was and how she knew where the main house was. And what did she mean by 'what they do in the darkness'?

"h- how did you—"

"an old woman knows everything, dear" she uttered. "even things that still aren't brought to light"

The old woman then started to walk away, humming a tune that gave a chill down his spine. There definitely was something off about the woman, Daiki thought but chose to just leave the matter alone and hurry over to the next town. The longer he takes, the more dangerous it can be for Tetsuna's life. With that mindset, he continued along the path, making sure his steps were a little faster that they were before but due to his impatience, he failed to notice the old woman staring at his back which gradually went further and further. The old woman smiled again and turned around to the opposite direction he went and disappeared into thin air.

* * *

><p>A sweet humming voice echoed through the large corridor as a pinkette and a blond walked through it, each carrying a box— the male with a larger one —in their hands. They were props for the performance tonight. It should've been done last night but the storm had forced them to delay their performance. Though so, no one was particularly disappointed or glad about the delay. There was a neutral response to the news and everyone just went to their own rooms to get some rest for the next day. Now, they were all preparing for tonight's show.<p>

"you look happy today, Satsukicchi. Did something nice happen?"

The blond, Ryouta, asked the female beside him with a smile. She was oddly cheerful that morning, not that she wasn't cheerful almost everyday.

"hm?~ Not really" she giggled. "It's just that a new ice-cream shop just opened in the town we're going to and they have cherry sundae~"

"aah!" Ryouta grinned in realization. "Satsukicchi really likes cherry sundae, right?"

"yup!"

"should we go there after the show?"

Satsuki's eyes lit up at the suggestion the blond gave and said, "sounds great! Let's bring Akkun too. I'm sure he'd love to come along"

"okay! I'll tell Atsushicchi later on"

The duo giggled and continued to discuss about their plans as they walked through the corridor towards a large door that lead outside. Waiting for them outside was carriage and the other first-string members who were loading some boxes into the carriage. Seijuro, however, wasn't with them. As it was actually a normal thing for them, Satsuki didn't bat an eye and greeted the members who were loading their stuff, carefully handing over the box she was holding over to Shintarou who then placed it in a carriage. Ryouta too handed his box over to him. Seeing the gleeful smiles on their faces, the green haired male couldn't help but comment, "you two look rather happy this morning. Did you hit your head or something?"

"geez, Shin-chan. That's so mean" Satsuki puffed out her cheeks but then smiled again. "well, let's just say that I'm a little excited to go to Mariane~"

The male pushed up his glasses and light grunted, "is that so.."

"does Shintaroucchi want to come along? To eat ice-cream"

"hmph. I refuse."

"eeeh why?"

"like I have time to come along with you when there's loading work to finish."

Ryouta pouted at his reason, muttering that Shintarou could just leave the loading for later after the ice-cream. Satsuki felt that it was rather a pity that the green haired male wasn't going to come along but it couldn't be helped if he didn't want to. The pinkette then remembered about their 'guest' in the small room and pondered for a minute before excusing herself from the two males.

"where are you going, Satsukicchi?"

"we still have more loading to do, Satsuki"

"somewhere. Just for a bit. I'll be back in a few!"

And with that, she ran off. Ryouta and Shintarou exchanged looks with each other and shrugged then continued their loading work. Minutes later came Junpei and Riko carrying a large crate which contents were somehow moving rather violently inside. Junpei was uttering curses left and right everytime the crate moved and Riko would have to scold him for it as the curses were not PG-13 at all. Ryouta saw the two with the crate and comically sweatdropped at the scene, the contents of the crate already known to him.

"are we really going to use _that_ tonight, Rikocchi?" he asked, giving a wry smile.

"uh huh" Riko responded, clicking her tongue when whatever inside the crate once again moved in an aggressive manner and Junpei cursed. "Tsujirou-sama told us to use this guy tonight. Probably so that it can get used to the show"

"why the goddamn hell he got this, I don't even know" Junpei grumbled under his breath, earning yet another scolding from Riko.

"Junpei, mind your lan— uff! Stop moving!"

Ryouta could only give a wry laugh as Junpei and Riko started to 'argue' with the thing in the crate before they flung it— though gently —into the carriage. They then latched the carriage close so that their load won't fall off and let out a heavy sigh once they realized their job was done, for now.

"it's gonna be a pain getting that guy out..." the brunette muttered, getting an agreement from the two males beside her.

"but...are we really going to use it? I mean.."

Ryouta chose not to continue his sentence and glanced at the still moving crate inside the carriage, a hesitant look in his golden eyes. Junpei and Riko exchanged glances before they too produced the same hesitant look in their eyes. There was a moment of silence until Junpei decided to break it. His voice at that time, however, sounded unsure and a tinge of guilt could be sensed in it.

"well...can't be helped. It's Tsujirou-sama's orders after all..."

_But—_ Ryouta clenched his fists. _Is it really okay...?_

* * *

><p>Satsuki walked through the corridor once again— making sure no one was following her —and took a left at a corner before going through the small doorway and descending down the steps. Once she reached the small room where Tetsuna was in, she gave a light knock on the door and announced that she was coming in before entering after unlocking the door with the key that was hung near the frame. Tetsuna, who was reading a novel Seijuro had brought in for her, turned to look at who had entered the room and when she saw it was Satsuki who had entered, she closed her book and set it aside.<p>

"do you need something, Satsuki-san?"

As Satsuki was a girl around the same age as her, Tetsuna found her easier to talk to compared to the other circus members, even though she was also an accomplice. Satsuki just seemed to be not as bad as Tsujirou.

"actually," Satsuki grinned. "there's a new ice-cream shop in Mariane so maybe you'd like to come along with us after the show?"

"un.. I would like to"

Tetsuna gave a small smile with her response. She wasn't too keen on following them to Mariane for the show because she herself was expected to perform as well. She really didn't want to but Tsujirou was being persistant on making her perform and he wouldn't listen no matter how many times she objected to the idea. Even Seijuro didn't— or perhaps couldn't —do anything about it. So, reluctantly, Tetsuna had to follow them to Mariane and participate in the performance. Though so, Tetsuna also saw this as a chance for her to look for a way to escape. Tsujirou doesn't always follow them to their performance sites— the last time just happned to be one of the days he came along —so the chance for her to be able to escape was rather high, considering that the first-string members don't do anything to prevent her from doing so. And the offer to go and grab ice-cream, just made the chances increase.

"Tetsu-chan," the pinkette sat beside her on the bed and gave a gentle smile, mixed with a tinge of guilt. "I, uh..."

The words of apology that she wanted to say were stuck in her throat and she couldn't let them out. She was hesitant in saying them to the girl in front of her eyes. What would an apology do anyway? She was one of the people who had taken her away from her home. Her family. Her life. An apology wouldn't fix anything. _It never did. _

"..nevermind"

Satsuki shook her head gently and got up from the bed, earning a look of puzzlement from Tetsuna. Just before she headed out the door, she turned around and gave a smile to the girl.

"we're heading out in ten. Bring any necessary things for yourself, kay?"

When she left, Tetsuna got up from the bed and started to get ready to leave (although she'd rather not come along). Though so, it was only combing her hair and changing her clothes. The small room didn't exactly have a place for her to take a shower or so. When nature calls, she'd have to pull a chord they set for her to pull on that will ring a bell, informing one of the first strings to guide her to the washroom a few feet away from the small room. Tedious, yes it was. But for security reasons— or so they claimed —they couldn't put her in a room with a washroom. What does a washroom have to do with security? Only the mastermind knows. Either way, for a girl to be in a room with out a washroom for her to do her lady duties is really an inconvenient thing but, she isn't really in the position to complain. She was, after all, just a captive.

* * *

><p>"Tarou-chin... give me back my chips..."<p>

"no. You're making a mess."

"Tarou-chin...!"

"shut up you two. We're in a freaking moving carriage"

Totally ignoring Junpei's words, Atsushi and Shintarou continued to bicker with each other about the chips— which Shintarou had held away from Atsushi's reach. The bespectacled male was definitely not happy being ignore and he definitely wasn't liking the noise. A vein popped on his forehead and Riko— who was seated beside him —swore she saw a demon. Junpei without hesitation stood up and clonked the two bickering males on the head with full force— not forgetting to scold them with "I told you to freaking shut up didn't I, d'aho!" —making them hold their heads in pain for a few second before shutting their mouth immediately. They did not want to put their mental health in danger after all. Two second string member— the girl and boy who were performing on the trapeze —comically sweatdropped at their seniors (as circus performers) and were trying their best to not interfere in their little argument.

Junpei grumbled a few words and was about to sit down back beside Riko when the carriage went over a rock or some hard object, causing the whole carriage to jump by a little but just enough to make Junpei lose his balance and fall face first on the wooden surface of the carriage. Lucky thing was that he didn't hit any of the luggage in there. The poor guy slowly lifted himself and held his aching face, trying to ignore Riko who was laughing her soul out at how 'clumsy Junpei can be'. Junpei, of course, couldn't really start shouting at her or clonk her head like what he did to Atsushi and Shintarou— who by the way were holding in their laughter, as well as the trapeze performers, to avoid being hit again —since he loves his life so he just bared with her laughter and grumbled some words instead. Ryouta, who was controlling the carriage, chuckled lightly at hearing how lively it was inside. It would always be like this during every move to towns and the blond honestly loved the liveliness. After all, _it makes them forget... _

Satsuki giggled and bent her body a little forward to take a look at Tetsuna, who seemed to also be amused by the four people in the carriage. The two girls were seated on both sides of the blond as they wanted to stay outside with the fresh air instead of the rather closed space of the carriage. There wasn't enough space anyway, with all the luggage they have at the back. Tetsuna had to admit, the trip wasn't so bad— with the gentle air blowing through her hair and the rather relaxing atmosphere as the carriage made its way to the next town —although the chain that was latched onto her left wrist and to one of the bars of the carriage reminded her that she was only a captive to them. Nothing more. Though they may act friendly with her, it didn't mean they actually thought about her as a friend, did it?

Tetsuna glanced over to the fancier carriage in front of them that was controlled by Seijuro, the person inside the carriage being Tsujirou. Unfortunately for her tonight, Tsujirou actually came along with them. He, apparently, wanted to see Tetsuna preform even though she never actually agreed to doing so. He is really the type of man that is egoistic and doesn't listen to others' opinions— Tetsuna thought, but whatever it takes, she would have to escape tonight as it is the only chance she has. If she messes up, who knows when another chance would come by. Knowing Tsujirou, he wouldn't let another chance to resurface. He's a smart man after all.

"Tetsu-chan," she heard Satsuki call out. "want some?"

Her eyes shifted their gaze from the carriage in fron to the item Satsuki had held out over Ryouta's arms. It was a packet some sort of small vanilla candy, which really looked appetizing to Tetsuna as she loved vanilla. Tetsuna nodded and took one of the sphere candies then popped it into her mouth, the sweet flavour of vanilla melting into every inch of her mouth. A small smile visibly formed on her lips as she slowly sucked and savoured the taste of the candy.

Satsuki lightly giggled at seeing how happy she was at receiving the candy. Akkun's suggestion worked after all— she mused happily. Even just a little, she wanted Tetsuna to open up to them. She knew that they were the ones who took her away but, it wasn't of their free will. At least, it wasn't the free will of the members she knew. Though she couldn't say much the same about a certain red haired male. He never expressed his opinion on any of the things they committed. But she felt that he too wasn't doing any of this out of free will. At least, that's what she feels.

* * *

><p>The village of Taira— a small village which was just in between of Rione and Loreine, the next town —was a beautiful village. It had colour and the people there were all cheerful and filled with happiness. The village had a really quaint feel to it. Some had flowers hung at the ends of their roofs and others just had flower pots filled with pretty marigolds and daisies. Honestly, it was a complete opposite compared to the town of despair. Normally, one would love to just stroll through the village and just look around at what they had but for a certain navy haired boy, it was different.<p>

The first thing Daiki desperately wanted was a nice bed for him to sleep the whole day because for one, walking on that path wasn't easy and sleeping in random places in the woods gave him really severe back pains but he really couldn't as he still had quite a long way before he could reach Loreine. Though, if he couldn't get a decent room to rest for the night, he might as well go for food hunting. He was just so hungry— living on just the bread you brought from home isn't really filling —so he had to find something to eat first. After all as they say, you can't go to war with an empty stomach.

Daiki stopped by a small eat-place and ordered the cheapest thing that his pockets— as he had no wallet —could handle and waited for it to be prepared. The cashier glanced over to him and chose to start a small chat with the boy, just to kill time.

"you aren't from around here, are you sir?"

"eh? ah, no. Came from the Rione"

"Rione?" the cashier raised an eyebrow. "well, that must've been a travel"

"guess so..." Daiki shrugged. "the so-called shortcut wasn't really a shortcut"

Daiki was a little surprised at how shocked the cashier look when he told him he had used the shortcut to come by the village. Even more shocked than he should've looked when he said he was from Rione.

"you came here through the path in the woods?"

"yea"

The cashier stayed silent for a while before saying, "there are rumours... about that path... They say that an old woman— a fortune teller —died there when she was trying to go to Rione and that her ghost still haunts the area.."

"old woman? I saw her-" _Wait. Did this mean I saw a ghost!? HOLY-_

"you saw her?" The cashier asked, trying not to laugh at how pale the teen had become in realization at the fact he saw a ghost. "well, it's a good thing you are unharmed..."

"y- yea" _no wonder she knew about the circus... _

"here, your order." The cashier said, handing over a chicken sandwich, beef sandwich and a glass of water on a tray to the boy. "hope you enjoy your meal, sir"

"sure will. Thanks man"

Daiki brought his food over to one of the petite tables there and started to eat his chicken sandwich. While he ate his sandwich, he looked through a few articles he picked up to bring to his table about the circus. The only thing he knew about the circus was that they migrated a lot and that they only come to a town once in two years, though Rione was an exception. They hardly come over there. Perhaps once in five years. A town that has a whole lot of 'unproductive' people who don't have money wouldn't really be worth performing for after all.

He came to a stop at a very intriguing piece as he scanned through an article. Written in bold right beside the circus' article was the title of a kidnapping of a young girl at the age of six. It happened about 10 years ago— when Daiki was also round the same age —at a town called Mariane, which was a few miles away from Loreine. According to the mother of the girl, it happened when they returned from the circus performance and she was looking for the keys in her purse to open the door to her house. When she got the keys she opened the door then turned to her child, only to discover that she wasn't there anymore. The police had looked around for clues to who had taken her away but found nothing. The articles that followed the main one said that the police have pronounced the girl dead as they haven't managed to find her even after five long years as for her to be alive after this duration would be rather impossible.

Daiki' eyes widened the more he read about the case. Was this what the old woman was talking about? Was this what he was looking for? If that is so, then the girl still be held captive if she is still alive _or..._

A colour of pink appeared in his mind and Daiki came to a sudden realization. The boy hurriedly stuffed his beef sandwich in his bag and drank the glass of water before rushing off to continue on the path. The story was helping to start piece up a few things. Now he started to see why they took her away. If it's for that reason then..

_then Tetsu still has a chance!_

* * *

><p>It was almost night time when they arrived and the moment the carriages stopped, the first-string members immediately started unloading. They had only a few hours before show time so they had to be speedy in their work like they usually are. As they all started to pitch up the tents and set the props, Tetsuna herself was unsure of what to do. She was just standing there, beside the carriage which she was still chained to. Because they wanted to hurry and get prepared, they didn't really unchain her. Tetsuna sighed and looked around for an object for her to 1) pick the lock on the chain or 2) crush the chain to bits. As she continued to look around, she felt a hand on her wrist and she turned to see who it was, mildly surprised when she saw the red haired magician.<p>

"honestly... Even when I have told them to unlock the chains when we arrive..."

Seijuro sighed as he took out a key and inserted it into the slot of the lock on the chains and twisted it, allowing it to click open. He took off the chain from her wrist and hung it around one of the bars of the carriage. Tetsuna uttered a "thank you" and Seijuro responded with a nod.

"come." he gestured. "I will help you get ready."

It was an order, not an offer. The girl gave a reluctant nod and followed the male towards an already set tent. It was the dressing room, apparently, which was why it was set first. Inside, Satsuki was finishing her drawing of a star around her eye with a blue pencil from her make-up kit in front of a mirror. The other members have already finished their make-up & such and left to go get their props ready. When she saw the two enter, she put aside her blue pencil back into the kit and smiled at them as a greeting.

"Satsuki, could you help with Tetsuna-san's preparations?"

"sure!" Satsuki grinned. "leave it to me"

After Seijuro left, Satsuki took the girl's hand and sat her down on the chair she was sitting on before, facing the mirror. Tetsuna stared at the number of unknown items in the make-up kit and picked up one of the brushes, 'analyzing' every inch of it. Satsuki giggled at this and put a hand on her shoulder, bending forward a little so that the make-up kit would be in her reach.

"how do you want your make-up to be? I suggest it be something light since you look cute enough without it"

Tetsuna faintly blushed at her compliment— feeling a little embarrassed —and answered , "I'll... leave it up to you, Satsuki-san.."

"all right then~"

It only took a few minutes for Satsuki to finish her job and Tetsuna had to admit, it was like a professional's work. Well, technically she is one. The light red star she drew around her left eye looked well with her light blue hair that was pulled and tied back, a few strands were left to drop around the neck. Her face was lightly powdered and a thin layer of peach coloured lipstick was applied on her lips. She looked like a different person. It made her wonder if the person she was staring at in the mirror was really her.

"what do you think?" Satsuki asked, smiling gleefully.

"...Satsuki-san is really amazing"

"hehehe.. thanks! Next is your outfit..."

After an exact 20 minutes, the two finally decided on a dark blue top which exposes the shoulder area— the middle part of the top was kept up by a thin choker —paired along with a pleated green purple skirt. Dark blue gloves were also worn by her and Satsuki found a pair of purple boots to match with her clothes. Just to give a little more brighter colour, a pink flower was pinned on the chest area of her top. With all that Tetsuna was officially prepared. The two girls headed over to the main tent where the first string members already were doing some warm ups— for those who were doing the stunts. Showtime was in 5 minutes and people were already filling the tent. The moving crate from before was also in the main tent which caught Tetsuna's eye but she decided it would be best to say nothing as Tsujirou was in the area, just staring at her. And this, was a huge problem.

Her plan— at first —was to go along with their plans on making her go to the ring. Let them believe that they have convinced her to trust them and such. Then when they go for their little ice-cream detour, she would make a run for it. That was the only chance she had but, by the look Tsujirou had in his eyes told her that she might not be going on the ice-cream detour.

"Tetsuna-san"

Seijuro approached the girl who turned to face her and he offered a small smile to her. A smile that was presented on the first day they met in front of the audience. That smile was perhaps switched on everytime showtime came.

"you will be performing with Satsuki and me for the finale. Get ready for the time"

Before Tetsuna could give a proper response, Seijuro had left the backstage and into the ring, his usual demeanour completely cast aside and a friendly smile on his face as he greeted the spectators. It was amazing, how he could just switch his personality so easily. How he could perfectly act like a different person when in the ring. A flawless act that is hard to look through.

The circus show continued as how they would usually do— the girl and boy doing their death-defying trapeze act, raising the danger level by a little per orders and following suit was Shintarou's dagger throwing act. Ryouta and Junpei did their act respectively after each others'— receiving more support than most of the other acts —and when Riko was doing hers, that was when the trouble started. Backstage where Seijuro and Satsuki were getting ready, another person was suppose to go ahead of them just as entertainment. And _that person was... _

"Seijuro, get him out of the crate" Tsujirou's order made the ones backstage visibly flinch. Only Seijuro seemed to be unaffected by his words. Tetsuna, on the other hand, was just plain confused.

_what did they mean by get 'him' out of the crate? _

"...understood."

Seijuro walked over to the crate, a certain emptiness— which sent a chill down Tetsuna's spine —filling his ruby eyes. He unlocked the latch on the crate and tipped it over, causing a boy— not more than the age of 15 —to fall out from the crate. A silent gasp of horror escaped Tetsuna's lips when she saw the boy fall out and landed on the ground with a thud but that wasn't what shocked her the most.

It was gone.

The entire left arm of the boy was cut clean and covered with bloody bandages which who knew how long it has been since it was changed. Tear stains were visible on the petrified boy's cheeks as he glared to everyone who was there, especially Tsujirou, who just smirked evilly at the boy. Tsujirou told Seijuro to get the boy on his feet— which he did —then threw a piece of clothing— a clown's outfit —to the boy and ordered him with clear disdain,

"put it on and get out there."

The boy didn't say anything but he also didn't put the outfit on. He kept on glaring daggers at the man, nit backing off one bit. When Tsujirou repeated his order, he spat on the ground near Tsujirou's feet as an act of rebel. Tsujirou cursed out loud— backing up a little so that his shoes wouldn't get dirtied by the spit —and returned the glare the boy has been giving him only much more vicious.

"Seijuro."

It only took Tsujirou to say his name and Seijuro knew what he had to do. Swiftly, he grabbed the tiny wrists of the boy in one of his hands and using the other, he picked up the clown outfit and tried to force it onto the boy. The boy, of course, struggled and tried to release himself but the redhead's hold was just too strong. He didn't even stand a chance. His shouts for Seijuro to stop were drowned out by the audience cheering for Riko and the other members only watched as the scene unfolded in front of them, not even batting an eye. Not even lending a hand to the boy. Not even pleading to Tsujirou to make Seijuro stop. They all watched with empty eyes.

"nee Seijurocchi.. You better hurry up. Rikocchi's act is almost over" Ryouta commented with an emotionless tone.

"that's right, Seijuro" Shintarou pushed up his glasses. "don't waste anymore time"

"I am well aware of that, Ryouta. Shintarou."

"hnn... want me to hold him instead?"

"if you may, Atsushi."

Atsushi took the boy's wrists from Seijuro's hold and held him up, making it easier for him to force the outfit on. Satsuki was silent the whole time until she decided to say something, her voice void of the usual cheerfulness.

"you don't have to stay out there long. 5 minutes will be enough"

"just make a fool out of yourself. That's all you have to do" Junpei added.

Tetsuna couldn't move a muscle. She was more than shocked at this. She was trying to grasp what was happening in front of her eyes at the moment. Were these really the people who were laughing and joking around during the whole trip here? Were these really the people who gave a warm feeling to her whenever she watched they converse with each other?

"now go. It's your turn."

Just after he had put the outfit on the boy, Seijuro pushed him towards the ring— a silent threat was being sent through the look in his eye which translated to 'don't even think of running'. The poor boy couldn't do anything but abide to what has been ordered by Tsujirou and also Seijuro. He went off to the stage and forced a smile on his face as he started acting silly, causing the whole audience to start laughing. His left sleeve swayed with every movement he made, causing the sight to be pitiful to those who knew.

Seijuro walked over to Tetsuna'a side, wanting to tell her to prepare herself to go out there but his words were cut off by hers.

"why is his arm gone?"

She asked, voice trembling as she uttered them. She was unsure whether it was trembling with rage or fear. Perhaps it was both. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she wanted to know.

"why is his arm gone, Seijuro-san?" she asked again, her hands clenched into fists. "why?"

Seijuro was reluctant to answer and when he was about to, Tsujirou cut him to it.

"because he had been a bad child, Tetsuna. And bad children should be punished" A sickening smirk made its way on Tsujirou's face as he continued. "right.. Seijuro?"

The said male's body lightly twitched at the sudden mention of his name and he didn't give a reply, his expression stayed the same as ever. Void from emotion. Tsujirou's smirk grew wider and he moved over to Tetsuna's side, ignoring the obvious rage that was growing inside her. He casually place his hand over his shoulder and brought his face closer to hers. Close enough for his tobacco-filled breath to enter her nostrils.

"that's why, Tetsuna, you have to be a good girl and go out there and perform for all those people out there. Understand?"

"—way"

"Tetsu-chan, you really should—"

"no way!"

Tetsuna cut off Satsuki's words and slapped off Tsujirou's hand, instantly distancing herself away from him. She wasn't really the type to raise her voice but her rage has reached its peak. How dare they cut of that boy's arm and make him perform like that. How dare they treat a human's life like some sort of trash. _How dare they perform such cruelty!_

"there is no way in the world that I would go out there. No matter what you say I will never go out there!" She raised her voice more though her usage of formal speech was still there. "you kidnapped me and mutilated that boy! Please so explain why I should even listen to you and participate in your insane circus!"

It came as a surprise for the ones there when Tetsuna raised her voice. She seemed like the docile, quiet type after all. Tsujirou, however, wasn't just surprised. He was outraged. Someone had dared to go against him— not once but twice. That was the last straw for him. He didn't care if she was a young girl who wouldn't even stand a chance against him. He has his way and that was his policy. Nothing would change that.

"...Seijuro, you and Satsuki perform as usual."

"please wait for a moment, Tsujirou-sama—"

"silence."

A sadistic glint formed in his eyes and Tsujirou lit up his cigarette, taking a puff from it while keeping his gaze to Tetsuna. With a cold tone of voice, he uttered eight words which made the bluenette realize that her fate had just been sealed with no escape. With the moon shining brightly high up in the night sky and the applause of the audience, a demon smiled maliciously under the dim light in the tent.

"it's time for bad children to be punished."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading!<em>**


	5. Unsaid Words

__**Disclaimer: everything belongs to their rightful owners.**__

* * *

><p><em>"my orders are absolute. I told you to take that kid, didn't I!?" <em>

_"but, mas—!" _

_"silence! You're such a bad child" _

_"Stop! Master- Please!" _

_"I will stop once you've learnt your lesson, you ungrateful brat!" _

"—kun? Sei-kun?"

The sweet voice of Satsuki's snapped him out from his spacing out and Seijuro turned to face her who was looking at him with a worried look. They were packing up outside the tents to return back to Loreine as they've finished their circus performance there and Satsuki noticed that Seijuro wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing. It was a very rare thing for Seijuro to be spacing out so it made Satsuki extremely worried. After all, all of that happened last night...

"are you okay? You look a little pale..."

"I'm fine." he smiled lightly. "Don't worry."

Satsuki stayed silent at his response. It was clear there was something bothering him but this was Seijuro. He wasn't the type to be dependent to others or rather, he didn't know how to be dependent to others. Though the same age, Seijuro was a hundred times more mature and independent than Satsuki— making her wonder if they were actually the same age. He would always take matters into his own hands and never share his problems with others. In a way, it was admirable but to Satsuki, she wants him to talk to her about anything that bothered him. She can't stand to see him look so burdened..

"anyway, how do you feel about returning to Mariane after such a long time?" he asked, taking her off guard.

"well..." she thought about her answer for a bit. "it certainly did feel a little nostalgic but that's all to it. I can barely remember anything about Mariane after all..."

"is that so.." he murmured. "well, it has been 10 years, hasn't it.."

"yeah.." Satsuki chuckled and looked up to the sky that was ever so blue. "time passes by so fast..."

A soft gust of wind slowly blew past them followed by a period of silence. The two said nothing to each other, reminiscing a little from their hazy pasts. Deciding that they should resume their task, Seijuro called out to Satsuki and they picked up the box they were packing then walked over to the carriage that was waiting. The other first string and the two second string members were already present around the carriage, all of them silent, not in the mood to make jokes or chat around. Who could blame them. What happened last night made it hard to do so.

"ah, Seijurocchi.." Ryouta greeted without any energy in his voice. "Tsujirou-sama said to bring her here since we're going to be departing soon.."

"is that so.." Seijuro muttered, glancing over to the fancy carriage in front of the luggage carriage with an empty look in his eyes. "understood."

Atsushi took the box Seijuro was holding from him and let the redhead walk off to do what Tsujirou had ordered him to. While the others went of to ready the horses or organize the loads inside the carriage, Satsuki watched as his back slowly became further and further by every passing second with a melancholic shadow. She felt her chest tighten. Oh how she wanted to help him so much. She really wanted to set him free from the chains of Tsujirou that held him down. Out of all that were here in the circus, she knew, the one that suffered the most and longest...

_was him..._

* * *

><p>Seijuro entered one of the tents that was still set up at the furthest end of the circus site and let his gaze land on a shadow that was curled up over at a dark corner of the tent. Carefully, he approached her. She seemed to have noticed his presence as she scooted further away the more he came closer. Seijuro narrowed his eyes slightly at her actions and let out a small sigh. He decided to maintain his distance for now. It seemed that she didn't want to be anywhere near him after all.<p>

"Tetsuna-san," he said softly. "we are departing soon. Come, let's go to the carriage. Tsujirou-sama is requesting for you"

The girl didn't give a respond and just kept quiet, her arms that were wrapped around her knees tightened their grip. Seijuro repeated his words once again, intending to persuade her to come along. In her current state, he didn't want to force her. Her mind now was as fragile as glass. He should perform his actions with extra care as he knew. He knew that if he were to treat her with even just a little less delicacy, she would break. _Just like..._

"Tetsuna-san.. I understand what happened last night was unpleasant for you and what Tsujirou-sama did to you can never be justified but,"

He paused for a moment and moved a little closer to her, slowly kneeling down once he reached a safe distance from her. She didn't react to it so he presumed it was a sign that she allowed him to be at least this close to her. Seijuro then narrowed his eyes in a gentle-like way and continued his sentence in a quiet voice, as if he was pleading for her to do as he says.

"please. Just follow us back to Loreine. If you don't..."

Seijuro didn't continue. At his silence, Tetsuna discreetly glanced at him, the faint expression of guilt on his face that he tried to hide by lowering his face wasn't missed at all. The blunette's eyes softened by a fraction and gave it a little thought. Although she didn't want to be returning to a place that is far from a home, she decided to at least heed his request. She knew after all. Of what would happen if he were to not perfectly execute his orders. After all that, how would she not know?

* * *

><p>The show was still on-going with Seijuro and Satsuki exciting the crowd more and more with their flawless magic tricks. Puffs of colourful smoke and pigeons appeared as they continued to perform with perfect smiles on their faces. In the eyes of the audience, they seem to be enjoying their time performing but at truth, it was the complete opposite. Those smiles were just an act. Unlike the audience, they could hear it. Even though most of it were drowned by the claps and cheers of the spectators, they could hear it clearly. The screams that were muffled from behind the curtains.<p>

Backstage, Ryouta and the others could only watch helplessly as Tsujirou grabbed Tetsuna once again by her hair and roughly pressed his lighted cigarette onto the bare skin of her neck. Tetsuna let out another scream of pain as tears flowed endlessly from her eyes. The man then slammed her forehead onto one of the crates— a malicious grin spread on his face —and raised her head up, ignoring the blood that flowed out of the wound that had been afflicted upon her. Her once scarless body was now tainted with all sorts injuries. Fresh burn marks covered her neck and collarbone area while her arms and tummy had deep slashes caused by a knife. Her legs were bind together to prevent her from running away and they too had deep wounds.

"see what happens when you go against me?"

Tsujirou's devilish eyes gleamed in the darkness as he smiled sadistically, bringing his face closer to Tetsuna. The poor girl didn't even have anymore strength to give a respond to him. Her breathing became heavy from the blood lose— a small pool of blood forming under her feet —and the pain was still lingering. She could still feel the heat from the cigarette, the sharpness of the blade of the knife and the hardness of the crate. The pain was unexplainable. She could barely even keep her eyes open. They were just begging to close but she knew if she let them, there is no telling when they will ever open again. She just had to try and endure it all.

"_please... stop..._" she managed to say in a ghostly whisper.

Tsujirou found the fact that she was still hanging in there amusing and snickered, "you're quite the strong one, aren't you? Doesn't matter. When I'm through with you—"

"Tsujirou-sama, I suggest that that is enough."

Tsujirou glared at Seijuro— who just returned backstage with Satsuki —and lowered Tetsuna by a few, questioning why he should listen to his words. Satsuki clutched a hand on her chest and her lips formed a straight line as she looked at the weak figure of Tetsuna. She obviously looked afraid of what she was seeing and there was also a look of sympathy in her eyes. There wasn't much of a reaction from Seijuro, on the other hand. He stayed as calm and collected as he could and started to explain to Tsujirou the reason he shouldn't continue his act.

"She is still a new member of the circus. She doesn't fully understand the rules here. Moreover, the show is over. They would be able to hear her as there are no more people cheering. If they were to find out, it would tarnish your reputation, Tsujirou-sama."

The man stayed silent for a few moments— considering whether to listen to him —then clicked his tongue. He threw Tetsuna over to Seijuro who hurriedly caught her in his arms and walked out of the tent with an angry huff. Seijuro sighed— feeling relieved that he actually listened to his request —and turned his gaze to Tetsuna— who lost conscious —in order to inspect her wounds. Fortunately none of them were particularly life threatening but it didn't mean it was fine for her to be covered in them.

Seijuro slipped his arm under her legs carefully— the other across her back securing her shoulder —and lifted her up after requesting Satsuki to fetch the first-aid kit. He then went off to a separate tent which was for the ladies and placed her on one of the sleeping bags, making sure he was gentle the whole time. When Satsuki came with the first-aid kit and a small basin of water— to clean the wounds, he treated Tetsuna's wounds with her aid. Both of them didn't utter a single word to each other and just silently continued their task. There was nothing to talk about and it wasn't the time to anyways. Only the sounds of a towel being submerged in water then dried and bandages being placed on the ground filled the silence.

"..I'll go changed the water. It's kinda dirty already"

Seijuro only gave a nod when Satsuki left the tent with the small basin in hand. He then set aside his wet towel to wait for her to bring cleaner water. As he waited, he glanced over to the passed out Tetsuna, silently observing her form. Her heavy breathing from before gradually became slower and her face relaxed a little. The antiseptic must be working— Seijuro mused. He unconsciously ran his hand gently through her hair, mentally complimenting on how soft it was despite the lack of chances for her to properly care for it for the time she was them. His eyes narrowed regretfully as he continued running his fingers through her hair, thinking on how it was a pity that such an innocent girl got mixed up in their affairs. The redhead bent down, low enough to let his lips brush against her ear and in a soft voice he whispered,

"—forgive me.."

* * *

><p>"Tetsu-chan!"<p>

Tetsuna was greeted by a bone-crushing hug from Satsuki the moment she and Seijuro approached the carriages. The bluenette was surprised to receive the hug— but she also felt rather happy in a way... —and struggled for a few moments to keep her balance (also to breathe). The pinkette finally released her grip when Seijuro told her that Tetsuna was going to die from air shortage. Though she panicked a little after letting go.

"how are you feeling now?" Satsuki asked worriedly.

"better, thanks to Satsuki-san." Tetsuna answered with a small smile, referring to the treatment she did.

"thank goodness.." The pinkette let out a faint sigh of relief. "really.. thank goodness..."

Seijuro, who was silently watching as the two girls exchange words, glanced over to the carriages that were prepared and requested the girls— Riko signaled that they were about to depart from the front seat of the luggage carriage —to get on their carriage. The redhead helped the two get on at the back of the luggage carriage before walking off to the main one where Tsujirou was waiting impatiently for departure. Seijuro and Junpei— replacing Ryouta for today —took hold of their respective reins and the circus was set off on their way to return home. It was a silent ride, overall, as some of the members were taking a nap regardless of how uncomfortable it was with all the luggage and limited space while the remaining members just simply didn't want to talk at all. The air felt heavy but they really couldn't care less. Chatting like as if nothing happened would be strange after all.

Tetsuna found it rather strange for them to be _this_ affected by Tsujirou's actions last night. For them to feel guilty was understandable but to the extent that they lost the energy to even act like themselves was a little... Was there something else that had occurred on that night? She wanted to ask but she felt that it was better for her to not say a word. It would only make things worst after all..

* * *

><p>"Atsushicchi, could you carry that crate over there?"<p>

"okay..~"

Once they arrived, everyone got to work and started to bring in their load back inside the lone mansion near Loreine. Tetsuna lent a hand to them too as she felt that just standing by and watching them lift all those loads wasn't exactly polite. While she and Satsuki lifted the lighter ones over to the storage area, Tetsuna couldn't help but notice the absence of the boy from yesterday. The unfortunate clown, as dubbed by some of the members. Out of curiousity, she asked the pinkette about the boy, only to be given a rather peculiar response.

"I- I'm not sure what happened to him but I assure you he's fine" Satsuki laughed nervously.

The bluenette raised an eyebrow and tilted her head a little to the side as to question how true her answer was. Satsuki was obviously hiding something. Otherwise why would she be so reluctant—

"..."

It then came to her realization that something must've happened to the boy, something that would cause Satsuki and the others to want to keep it secret and feel— perhaps —uneasy about it. Something related to...

"..did Tsujirou-san..?"

She didn't bother to finish her question. Just by those two words, she knew Satsuki would know. And judged by the expression that formed on her face at the question, she knew she was right. Tetsuna lowered her head— her bangs shadowing her eyes —and once again asked.

"...what happened to him, Satsuki-san?"

The pinkette stayed silent, hesitating whether to tell her the truth about the boy. It was something that she knew would be unforgivable to the other girl. For them at the circus, _those_ kind of things happen a little... too often that they have gotten rather used to it. But for someone who was still new to their world, could she take the truth without any dire consequences to their side?

"...after we finished treating your wounds," Satsuki uttered, deciding to just tell her in the end. "Tsujirou-sama summoned Sei-kun to his tent and—"

"he ordered to rid the boy of his life"

Tetsuna spun around at the sudden sound of his smooth voice and saw Seijuro at the entrance of the storage room, his arms crossed in a rather lax way. He looked rather tired as he leaned on the door frame, looking at the two girls who were both surprised but one was for another reason.

"rid of his life..." Tetsuna repeated, the shock in her eyes was evident as they opened wide and there was a look of horror mixed in them. "w- what are you—"

"Tsujirou-sama ordered me to kill him." Seijuro calmly said. "It was due to his poor performance yesterday."

Her body started to tremble— whether it was from fear or rage, she herself didn't know —and she shifted her gaze towards the ground before she asked him in a quiet voice,

"did you—"

"yes."

Her blue eyes shot back up and stared at the redhead. Perhaps she didn't hear it right. Perhaps it was just her imagination. Perhaps it was—

"yes I did." Seijuro repeated. "I killed him. Orders are orders after all."

The way he easily answered without a trace of guilt in his voice left her dumbfounded. The usual look in his eyes were now replaced with a deadly gaze that seemed to be as if demanding for authority which sent a chill down the bluenette's spine. This wasn't the Seijuro she knew. That was what was clear. The Seijuro she had gotten to know didn't have such a cruel look in his eyes. Satsuki seemed to have noticed the change too as she seemed uneasy at her spot, avoiding eye contact with the redhead.

"orders are orders..?" Tetsuna finally spoke up, the look of utter betrayal was etched on her face. "just because of that you killed an innocent boy?"

"Exactly."

A gasp was breathed out from Satsuki and her hand was brought to her mouth. She never would have expected such a thing. To strike against him was an act only a person brave or foolish enough would do. But there she was an arms length from him, her hand still hovering in the air from the action. The redhead himself also didn't expect for the bluenette to step up to him and land a strong, hard slap on his face. His ruby eyes flew wide open and he had straightened his posture at the moment of impact. It was the last thing he thought she would do.

Tetsuna glared intensely at him before walking off without another word. Seijuro placed a hand on his burning left cheek when he recovered from the shock and his bangs covered his eyes with a shadow as he stayed silent at his place. Satsuki walked up to him, about to ask if he was okay, when he cut her off.

"go after her. It would be troublesome if Tsujirou-sama found out she is out of our sight."

"but..."

Satsuki looked at the taller male with worried eyes. It made her wonder why on earth did he utter those cruel words. It wasn't like him at all..

"I am fine." he said, giving a faint smile. "now go."

Her pink orbs widened by a small fraction as it came to her realization of what was his motive. There wasn't any other answer and if it was true, it would make perfect sense. Satsuki pressed her lips in a thin line and slowly nodded before running out to find Tetsuna, her footsteps echoing through the corridor.

_As always, you never depend on anyone... Even when you're burdened with guilt.. _

"..idiot"

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading!<em>**


	6. NG: Unsaid Words

_**Disclaimer: everything belongs to their rightful owners.**_

* * *

><p>The pinkette stayed silent, hesitating whether to tell her the truth about the boy. It was something that she knew would be unforgivable to the other girl. For them at the circus, <em>those<em> kind of things happen a little... too often that they have gotten rather used to it. But for someone who was still new to their world, could she take the truth without any dire consequences to their side?

"...after we finished treating your wounds," Satsuki uttered, deciding to just tell her in the end. "Tsujirou-sama summoned Sei-kun to his tent and—"

"he ordered to rid the boy of his life"

Tetsuna spun around at the sudden sound of his smooth voice and saw Seijuro at the entrance of the storage room, his arms crossed in a rather lax way. He looked rather tired as he leaned on the door frame, looking at the two girls who were both surprised but one was for another reason.

"rid of his life..." Tetsuna repeated, the shock in her eyes was evident as they opened wide and there was a look of horror mixed in them. "w- what are you—"

"It was due to his poor performance yesterday." Seijuro calmly said. "Tsujirou-sama made me..."

"take away his pizza privileges that he got while staying here"

. . .

"pardon?"

"you heard me. The boy kept on saying that pizza was his life so Tsujirou-sama had to give him pizza everyday but since he gave a poor performance, he had to rid him of that privilege. It cost him a lot of money to supply him with pizza, according to Tsujirou-sama." (sei)

"..so what happened to the boy?" (t)

"he's still crying in the back room" (sei)

"...I see-" (t)

* * *

><p><strong><em>This came to me while I was writing the chapter and I couldn't resist myself- teehee!<br>_****_Thanks for reading!_**


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